Fish Fridays

I asked Ben Smith, chef and owner of Tsunami Restaurant, to share some tips on purchasing and cooking fish.

“When purchasing fish, always get to know your purveyor and establish a good relationship with him or her. Secondly, aroma is always a good indicator of quality. You are looking for a clean, ocean-like smell. Not something fishy. Third, texture. It should firm and not mushy.”

Ideally, fish should be cooked the same day it is purchased. But if serving it the next day, Ben has a storage tip.

“So once you have purchased the fish, you want to cook it as quickly as possible. If you have to store it overnight, do so in a baking pan and place a Ziploc bag full of ice on top. That should keep it fresh overnight.”

Fish is surprisingly easy to cook and lends itself to a myriad of cooking techniques: baking, broiling, grilling to name a few … but what’s the easiest?

“So there are lots of different methods for cooking fish, but the tried and true method that applies to every type of fish is just a simple sauté.”

This Lenten season, try something new when dining out.

“Here at Tsunami, I’ve always challenged my guests to try new things when it comes to seafood. So I have a standing order with all my purveyors to send me the most unique specimens of seafood they can get their hands on.”